The collective giving movement is on fire! In the past decade, giving circles—collaborative groups of donors who pool their resources to support organizations they are passionate about—have tripled in size, engaging more than 150,000 donors across the nation and granting over $1.29 billion. At their core, giving circles are redefining who gets to be a philanthropist by allowing everyday people to collectively decide where to invest funds, while allowing them to be a part of a movement of donors and changemakers. Join us on April 24th at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) to learn from philanthropic experts about how giving circles are changing the face of community philanthropy and how you can join this growing movement.

Speakers

As a seasoned social impact leader and entrepreneur, Lisa manages a wide array of relationships throughout the broader SV2 community, including Partnership growth, strategic partnerships, learning programs and media relations. She serves as a key catalyst and collaborator for new initiatives, including impact investing and advocacy. Lisa joined SV2 in 2013, bringing a more than 25-year career spanning media, marketing/business development, social innovation and leadership in service of SV2’s vision of creating a more equitable Silicon Valley and world where everyone thrives. She deeply believes that by illuminating both what is and what is possible, and unleashing our individual and collective talents and resources, we can creatively collaborate to achieve systemic social change.

Most recently, Lisa relaunched and co-directed Leadership Palo Alto, a cross-sector leadership development program for emerging civic leaders. In addition, she created and hosts First Person, a multi-platform video interview series featuring Silicon Valley trailblazers.

A dedicated climate activist, environmentalist, arts advocate and practicing artist, Lisa has served in numerous civic leadership roles, including with the City of Palo Alto Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Advisory Council, the Palo Alto Art Center, Planned Parenthood, as well as many political campaigns.

She has been featured as a TEDx speaker, guest lecturer at Stanford University, Silicon Valley Woman of Influence 2015, and is a frequent speaker and moderator. She is a climate activist, holds a B.A. from Brown University and a certificate in Innovation Leadership from California College of the Arts.

Sara Velten, Vice President of Philanthropy, Latino Community Foundation

Sara is a connector of people and ideas, a relationship builder, and a firm believer that everyone can be a philanthropist. In her current position as VP of Philanthropy, Sara leads the Latino Giving Circle Network™, the largest network of its kind in the country, and leads fundraising strategies geared toward expanding the foundation’s base of corporate and individual donors. She has been an invaluable part of the LCF team since 2011.

Sara has extensive experience working in the private sector. Before joining LCF, she was Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nano Products. Prior to that, she served as Public Relations Coordinator for BBVA Bancomer, the second largest financial group in Mexico. A member of the Latino Advisory Board of Common Sense Media, Sara is also a founder of AHOrA, a Texas-based fundraising initiative focused on expanding educational opportunities for Hispanic youth and parents.

Sara graduated with honors from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and received her Administration and Management Certificate from Harvard University, where she also earned the prestigious Katie Y. F. Yang Prize. Originally from Mexico, Sara has lived in Switzerland and now resides in San Mateo County with her husband and three teenage kids. She is passionate about her family and helping the Latino community reach its full potential.

Maeve became interested in the power of philanthropy, and in particular, the role of grassroots collaborative giving in social change, through Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen’s course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. During her time at Stanford, she competed for the varsity debate team and worked for the office of Senator Barbara Boxer and for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. She graduated from Stanford in 2017 with a B.A. in History and a minor in Human Rights.

Maeve currently oversees Giving Circles Fund, LAAF’s online platform that allows individuals to scale their individual impact by giving collaboratively and has facilitated over 70 grants to nonprofits in the last year. Additionally, she conducts research across the organization’s portfolio of projects including Project U, in-person courses/seminars and Andreessen Philanthropies, in particular supporting development of Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen's Graduate School of Business course on women and leadership, inclusivity in the workplace and intentional impact.